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M.H.S. Hysteria
The M.H.S. (Mad Hatter's Ship) Hysteria is an airship modelled after the style of 30th century New British Temporal Fleet vessels. It was built by its captain and owner, Edward Von Arkham. The Ship The Hysteria is, in essence, a 75 ft "Cutter"-style attack vessel. Often interspersed with ships-of-the-line in line of battle combat they would duck between the much larger ships, dealing minor damage to balloons and deck guns. To the Hysteria, however, much modification has been made, both practical and otherwise. First, and most importantly, starboard and port "fins" were added soon after the building of the current incarnation of the Hysteria, allowing for increased maneuverability and high speeds. The balloon is filled with a gas known as "Aethereum" allowing for lighter-than-lighter-than-air travel, giving the Hysteria the unique ability to achieve much higher altitudes than other ships of her class, as well as passing easily through stormclouds and other areas of increased pressure with little risk of structural damage. Other, less tactical advancements have been added, turning the ship into a home for her crew, sacrificing the ability to house a full complement. (The Cutter-class would often house 20-30 marines, as well as 19 officers in times of war.) These additions, as of late, have been increased cabin sizes, the library and workshop, and, most interestingly, turning the officer's mess into a greenhouse. (As bizarre as it may sound, it was, in fact, a stroke of brilliance. The greenhouse provides an essentially unending source of nutritious food, as well as oxygen in very high altitudes, and though it's not been tested, beneath the surface of the ocean.) Eternity Clock The Eternity Clock is central to the existence of the M.H.S. Hysteria, both literally and figuratively. Invented as an alternative to the popular and unstable forms of time travel available in the 30th century, it is essentially a large astrolabe, forming concentric circles, mimicking the turning of celestial bodies, mapping the passing of time, and allowing it to travel to different points in time, by "moving" to whenever the universe last "looked" like the current configuration of the clock. Because the universe so rarely looks the same twice, mistakes are very rare, though they can happen. The Attempted Theft of the Clock and Creation of the Ship In the year 2991, several attempts were made, by agents of Queen Victoria XI, to steal the Eternity Clock. The reasons for these attempts were unknown, but there are working theories that the powers-that-be were concerned about the implications of untraceable, unregulated time travel. Edward Von Arkham's workshop was ransacked, and much damage was done before the hired men left, presumably to give Von Arkham time to think about giving up the Clock. Von Arkham knew that he had little time to act. The clock, being far too large to move, needed to go. It was at this time that the prototype of the Hysteria was created. Some sort of vessel needed to be created to move the Clock through space, as it alone could move only through time. After a week of steady work, a very basic first version of the ship was completed enough to allow for an expedient escape. The Crew The Hysteria is manned by her Captain, Edward Von Arkham, and his first mate, Litton Guthrie Jackson. Quartermaster Aufft Maimer maintains the weapons arsenal in case of a scuffle, Else Jørgensdatter tends the greenhouse and cooks for the crew, Dr. Augustus Mausjagdnacht attends to the crew's medical needs, and Lily Kantari maintains the ship's engine. The crew record their adventures as the ship's log via the Hysteria's image recording software, which Litton affectionately calls Hal. Category:Airships